White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

I have made several versions of this cake. I think they are all excellent, though I do think the crust on this cheesecake using Oreo cookies makes it much tastier than the graham cracker version in other recipes.

This was brought to William’s office for his “goodbye” party and some said it was one of the best cheesecakes they have ever had. Follow the directions exactly and you will have NO cracks! It can be made much prettier using white chocolate curls on the top and even a raspberry sauce swirl on the plate if you can serve it that way.

1. Preheat oven 475 degrees. Create a water bath for the cheesecake pan by locating a pan larger than your cake and filling it up with 1/2″ of water. Heat this up while your oven heats up.
2. In a microwave bowl, heat the raspberry preserves and water for 1 minute. Stir and let cool in the fridge.
3. Prepare your 9” Springform pan by lining the bottom and sides with non-stick foil or parchment paper. Combine the cookie crumbs and butter. Pat the crumb mixture on the bottom and up the sides 2/3 of the way up. Wrap the pan on the outside with foil to prevent water getting into the pan. Put crust and pan in freezer.
4. Cream the cream cheese until light and fluffy with an electric mixer. Add sugar and sour cream and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time making sure each is incorporated before adding the next. Mix until just combined.
5. Take the pan from the freezer and the bowl of raspberry preserves out of the fridge. Sprinkle the bottom with the 4 oz. of white chocolate. Add half of the cream cheese mixture to the pan on top of the white chocolate. Pour the preserves on top. Pass a butter knife through the mixture without hitting the bottom. Do this 3-4 times. Pour the rest of the cheesecake mix on top.
6. Put the cheesecake into the water bath slowly. Bake 12 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake 50-60 more minutes. Cheesecake top with be light brown.
7. Cool cheesecake on wire rack. Cover top with foil and put in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight is even better.

You can make white chocolate curls by taking a vegetable peeler to a block of white chocolate to add on top. Add some whipped cream like at Cheesecake Factory.